Social media for business growth (Part 2)

…The bridge between business goals, the right social media platforms and the ideal customer

In a competitive business environment, knowing your target audience is crucial for crafting effective marketing strategies and achieving business goals. Tailoring your messages to meet the specific needs and preferences of your audience will significantly boost engagement and conversion rates, ensure efficient resource use, and foster long-term customer loyalty. Below are some additional benefits of knowing your target audience.

Customised marketing

This involves tailoring your promotional messages to resonate with your audience’s needs and interests. This approach can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates.  Kasapreko Company Limited, known for its wide range of beverages, customises its marketing campaigns based on the preferences of different demographic groups, ensuring that each message appeals directly to the intended audience.

Efficient resource use

By focusing your marketing efforts on high-potential segments, you can maximize your return on investment (ROI). Yummie Yoghurt, for instance, targets health-conscious individuals through Instagram and Facebook ads, ensuring that their limited marketing budget is spent on reaching people most likely to purchase their products.

Building loyalty

Understanding your audience helps build stronger, long-term relationships with your customers. Zoobashop uses insights from customer interactions to personalize their communication and offers, fostering a sense of loyalty and trust among their clientele.

Buyer personas

A buyer persona is a detailed profile representing your ideal customer based on market research, data analysis, and insights about your existing customers. It helps businesses understand their target audience better by defining their demographics, behaviours, motivations, goals, and challenges. Creating buyer personas helps craft more targeted marketing strategies, product development, and customer service initiatives that resonate with specific segments of your audience, thereby improving overall customer engagement and satisfaction.

Example of a buyer persona

Key elements of a buyer persona include

• Demographics: Age, gender, income, education, and location are essential factors. For example, a luxury fashion brand in Ghana might target women aged 25-40 with high disposable incomes living in urban areas like Accra.
• Psychographics: This includes interests, values, lifestyle, and behaviours. A business like Ghana Jollof, which delivers traditional Ghanaian dishes, may focus on customers who value convenience and enjoy local cuisine.
• Challenges and pain points: Identifying common problems your audience faces helps in creating solutions that resonate. For instance, a fintech company might target small business owners struggling with traditional banking challenges.
• Goals: Understanding what your audience hopes to achieve can inform your marketing messages. A company offering educational services might target students aiming for higher academic performance.
• Preferred social media platforms: Knowing where your audience spends their time online is crucial. Selina Beb, a fashion brand, will find their audience of fashion-forward individuals more active on Instagram than on LinkedIn.

Strategic goals for using social media

Social media has become an indispensable tool for businesses in Ghana. By understanding the strengths and demographics of each platform, Ghanaian businesses can strategically choose the right channels to achieve their marketing goals, enhance customer engagement, and drive growth. This section features real-life examples of how Ghanaian businesses like KenteMaster, Yummie Yoghurt, Zoobashop, and others deploy social media to transform their business operations and embrace new opportunities for growth and success. The following are the top goals for using social media for business.

Goal 1: Awareness

Awareness in a marketing context refers to the extent to which potential customers recognise and are familiar with a brand, product, or service. It is the first stage in the customer journey and is critical for attracting new customers. To create effective awareness online leverage the algorithms of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube to achieve your objectives.

Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok.

Focus on creating and distributing content that reaches a broad audience and captures their attention. The goal is to make the brand familiar to as many people as possible. Example: A new restaurant in Accra can use YouTube to post engaging videos showcasing its menu and ambience. These videos will help build awareness by reaching potential customers who become familiar with the restaurant, its offerings, and its atmosphere. On TikTok, the restaurant could post short, fun, and viral-friendly clips of their dishes being prepared or customer reactions. On Facebook, they can utilize posts, stories, videos, and live sessions to reach a wide audience and share high-quality images and videos of the restaurant’s dishes, ambience, and events on Instagram. Also, they can leverage the visual nature of  Instagram by posting appealing photos and short videos (Reels) of menu items and the restaurant atmosphere. They can deploy stories and highlights for daily specials, behind-the-scenes content, and user-generated content and collaborate with local influencers to amplify reach.

Goal 2: Engagement

This refers to the level of interaction and involvement a brand has with its audience through various forms of communication. It encompasses actions such as likes, comments, shares, retweets, direct messages, and any other form of active participation from the audience.

Platforms: Twitter, Instagram, TikTok

Use interactive content such as polls, Q&A sessions, and comments to encourage followers to participate and engage with the brand. Example: A travel agency in Ghana can run Instagram polls and Q&A sessions about holiday destinations. This will encourage followers to share their preferences and interact with the agency, creating a community and active engagement. On TikTok, the travel agency could create challenges or trends related to travel that encourage users to create their content in response.

Goal 3: Lead Generation

Lead generation involves attracting and converting potential customers (leads) who have shown interest in your product or service. The goal is to gather contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers, which can then be used to nurture these leads through targeted marketing efforts until they are ready to purchase.

Platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook.

On LinkedIn, share articles, posts, ads, and downloadable resources. Also share informative content like market reports, industry insights, and case studies to establish authority and attract interested professionals. Use LinkedIn Ads to target specific demographics, industries, or job roles likely to be interested in your offerings. Offer valuable resources such as eBooks, whitepapers, or webinars in exchange for contact information through LinkedIn.

By focusing on lead generation, you build a database of potential customers who have expressed interest in your offerings. These leads can be nurtured through targeted email campaigns, follow-up calls, and personalised content, ultimately converting them into paying customers.

Goal 4: Sales

Refers to the process of converting potential customers (leads) into paying customers through various marketing and sales tactics. It encompasses the entire journey from initial interest to the final purchase, aiming to maximise revenue for the business.

Platforms: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat.

Use Instagram Shopping to tag products in posts and stories, allowing users to purchase directly. Collaborate with influencers to promote products through sponsored posts and stories. Run Instagram Ads targeting users interested in fashion. On Facebook, set up a Facebook Shop to showcase products and use Facebook Ads to promote sales and new arrivals. Also, leverage Facebook Live by hosting live shopping events where viewers can purchase products in real time. On Snapchat use Snap Ads and Collection Ads to showcase products. Partner with influencers to create engaging content that drives traffic to the online store and utilize Snapchat’s AR filters to provide interactive shopping experiences.

Goal 5: Customer Service

Customer service involves addressing customer inquiries, concerns, and feedback promptly and effectively. The goal is to resolve issues, provide information, and enhance customer satisfaction, ultimately fostering long-term relationships and repeat business. Effective customer service enhances satisfaction by addressing customer needs and concerns promptly. Positive customer service experiences improve brand perception and loyalty.

Platforms: Twitter, Facebook.

Monitor mentions and direct messages on Twitter to respond promptly to customer inquiries and complaints. Use Twitter’s search functionality to find and address customer feedback. To achieve this create a dedicated customer service handle for streamlined support. On Facebook Utilize Messenger to provide real-time support. Set up automated responses for common queries to ensure immediate assistance. Monitor comments on posts and ads to address customer concerns and gather feedback.

Conclusion

Understanding your target audience is a critical component of successful marketing for businesses in Ghana. By customising your marketing efforts, focusing resources efficiently, and building long-term relationships, you can achieve better results and foster customer loyalty. Creating detailed buyer personas and utilising audience research tools such as Facebook Insights, Instagram Analytics, Google Analytics, and direct surveys will enable you to gain deeper insights into your audience’s needs and preferences. With these strategies, Ghanaian businesses can enhance their marketing efforts and drive growth in their competitive landscape.

>>>Tarsicius Edem Dorpenyo is the founder and CEO of Dorpenyo Digital, a full-service digital marketing and media firm that helps brands elevate their online presence. Contact him for bespoke services via email at dorpedem@gmail.com or by phone (+233) 248 426 235.